Murders Spike in Popular Mexican Resort Area

Two unidentified men that were executed with AK-47’s, in the Mexican State of Baja California Sur, point to an alarming trend in violence as the once quiet resort town becomes the next battleground for drug cartels.

The two executions bring up to 48 the number of violent deaths in the previously quiet resort area of La Paz and Los Cabos, various articles by the Mexican newspaper El Sudcaliforniano point out. The area had previously been a place frequented by American tourists looking to enjoy the Mexican beaches, however in recent months members of drug cartels have begun to fight over the territory.

The fighting appears to have started following the widely publicized arrest of legendary capo Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman whose organization controlled the drug territories in the state and according to various law enforcement reports was believed to be behind the peace in the area. Guzman’s arrest has left a power vacuum that his subordinates are fighting to fill.

Unlike their colleagues in other parts of Mexico where investigative reporting of cartel violence has stopped, El Sudcaliforniano has been consistently publishing their information related to the most recent murders in the area. Just one day before the murders number 47 and 48 were reported, the newspaper had published their 45th murder which dealt with a street level drug dealer that had been beaten, his feet set on fire, a Narco message scrawled on his skin with a knife and ultimately hung in an apparent drug execution.

The murder rates are not the only concern for the citizens of the once quiet resort area. On November 20, the newspaper reported a shootout in a poor residential area where gunmen unloaded more than 200 rounds into a house that was being used as a street level drug distribution point. While no injuries were reported, authorities did arrest two previously convicted felons who were released the following day.